iplomat said on Monday that Russia has massed some 100,000 troops near the border." The AP (4/22, Isachenkov) reports that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu "ordered troops back to their permanent bases following massive drills...but said that they should leave their weapons behind in western Russia for

uthern Military District were loading equipment onto rail cars to return to base after completing military exercises, in line with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's report to Putin on Monday that some drills were ending and others would end soon." And, they reported, "[q]uestions remain about Moscow's intenti

he first time a Russian warship has done so in twenty years —amid the announcement that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu would be traveling to Cairo that same week for talks with their Egyptian counterparts on "military-technical" cooperation. To mark that fruitful co

ng military movements carry "dangerous risks of escalation." U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone today with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to clarify Russia's intentions for its troops amassed along the border with Ukraine, Rear Admiral John Kirby, Hagel's spokesman, said at a news co

ng military movements carry "dangerous risks of escalation." U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke by phone today with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to clarify Russia's intentions for its troops amassed along the border with Ukraine, Rear Admiral John Kirby, Hagel's spokesman, said at a news co